A. B. Moe Autobiography

A. B. Moe Autobiography

• 1880-1924 (Creation)

The autobiography consists of a paper written by A. B. Moe containing information on his family life, emigration, journey to the West, employment, and pioneering experience, as well as general information on mass transportation and settling in the area.

Biographical Note

A. B. Moe emigrated from Norway in 1881 after a voyage to the Baltic as a sailor. His father, I. B. Moe, had emigrated from Fredrikestad, Norway in the spring of 1880 and brought his wife, daughter, and youngest two sons in the fall of 1880. The family settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I. B. Moe worked in a lumberyard and took up a homestead.

When the homestead flooded, the family decided to move west to Puget Sound. They formed a group of relatives and friends journeyed by railroad, horse team, and wagon through Montana and Idaho, working along the way for a railroad company and a gold mine. They encountered hostile native populations, floods, and mountains that made their journey difficult. They eventually settled in Seattle, where A.B. Moe worked to help grade streets in the summers, and logging during the rest of the year. In the mid-1880’s, A.B.’s father formed the town of Poulsbo and A.B. served as its first mayor. A.B. Moe lived in Poulsbo for 41 years, until 1924.